Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

Marjane was born on November 22, 1969 and passed away on June 4, 2026. She was an Iranian and French comic book author, film director, and children's book author best known for her graphic novel Perse...polis. Marjane garnered worldwide attention for her autobiographical comic books, Persepolis and Persepolis 2, which depict her childhood in Iran and adolescence in Europe following the Iranian revolution. In 2019, Persepolis ranked 47th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. In 2024, it ranked 48th on the New York Times's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. Persepolis was eventually adapted to a film, which debuted at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 80th Academy Awards. It also won Best First Film at the César Awards. Marjane went on to direct and act in a number of films while also being politically active. She contributed to the op-ed section of the New York Times as well. Marjane married Mattias Ripa, who passed away on April 8, 2025. Afer his death, Marjane was severely depressed and in April 2026, visited a clinic to help work through her depression. Two months later, she passed away. Her family said she had "died of sadness" over her husband's death.Show more

John was born on October 26, 1948 and passed away on June 1, 2026. He was a British fantasy and science fiction illustrator best known for his work on Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer Fantasy Rolep...lay, Warhammer 40,000, and Warhammer Age of Sigmar. He was also the art director for Games Workshop. It wasn't until 1977 that John got involved with Games Workshop, illustrating the cover art for issue 4 of their gaming publication White Dwarf. He continued working for them through the late 70s and into the early 80s. In 1986, the company moved to Nottingham, and it was at this time that John became art director. John also illustrated many fantasy gamebooks, including the Fighting Fantasy series. John retired in 2023, but continued to work in the miniature wargames industry, licensing his name to a range of paints inspired by his style.Show more

Robert Lee "Peabo" Bryson was born on April 13, 1951 and passed away on June 2, 2026. Peabo was an American singer and songwriter, and contributed to several Disney animated feature soundtracks throug...hout his career, including "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World." Peabo started his career at just 14 years old, singing backup for Al Freeman and the Upsetters. In 1976, he launched his own recording career with "Underground Music" on the Bang label. He recorded "A Whole New World," the main theme for Disney's animated Aladdin, in 1992, collaborating with Regina Belle. They went on to win a Grammy for their performance of the song in 1994. In 1993, he and Celine Dion also won a Grammy for their performance of "Beauty and the Beast."Show more

Matthieu was born on October 10, 1965 and passed away on June 3, 2026. He was a French businessman and board game designer best known for founding Cocktail Games. Through Cocktail Games, he created ga...mes including Contrario and Illico Presto. Matthieu also contributed to the development of the Union of Game Publishers and was involved in the Accessijeux board.Show more

Michael Kohner was born on September 3, 1943 and passed away on June 7, 2026. Michael was the son of Paul Kohner and nephew of Frank Kohner, founders of Kohner Bros., the company behind classics such ...as Pop-O-Matic Trouble and The Busy Box. After the company was sold in 1974, Michael founded The Michael Kohner Corporation, and spend decades working with inventors to bring their games to market. In recognition of their lasting impact on the industry, Michael and the Kohner family were honored with People of Play’s Lifetime Achievement Toy & Game Innovation Excellence (TAGIE) Award in 2014.Show more

Timothy Moodie, known by friends and family as "Moots," was born on October 24, 1954 and passed away on January 29, 2026. Tim grew up all over America and ended up settling in Minnesota. He attend...ed the University of Minnesota and studied Communications, Radio, & Television before starting his career as a voice talent for radio and television commercials. He also did a stint in advertising before starting his own business, which set him on the path toward a career in toys and games for over 40 years. Tim leaves behind his loving wife, Barbara, his son, Griffin, and his daughter, Colleen. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all those that knew and loved him.Show more

Greg Hyman was born on June 25, 1947 and passed away on May 1, 2026. He is best known as the creator of Tickle Me Elmo. Greg was born in New York and attended Cornell University for a short while ...before dropping out to focus on inventing. His early experiments including a hovering bumper car and an anti-siphoning device to protect gas tanks in cars. Eventually, Greg got into toy inventing with Larry Greenberg. An electric musical toy he created was acquired by Playskool in 1979, and from there, he created dolls that "drank" milk from bottles and another that had an audible heart beat when you pressed a toy stethoscope to its chest. He and Greenberg developed nearly 50 inventions together before Greenberg's death in 1992. Rob Dubren, another inventor friend of his, suggested developing a toy that could laugh, and Greg came out with Tickles the Chimp. Together the met with Tyco Toys, who were not interested in Tickles, but loved the giggling technology, and suggested subbing in Elmo for a monkey. After Tyco won the license to produce Sesame Street plush toys, Tickle Me Elmo was developed, and not only was it an instant hit, but it became one of the most iconic toys.Show more

Cris Lehman passed away on January 31, 2026 at the age of 69 following complications from pancreatic cancer. Cris was best known for his role as co-founder and CFO of University Games, and spent the m...ajority of his career building the company alongside Bob Moog, his college roommate, best friend, and business partner. Cris leaves behind a loving wife Melinda, and three children. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.Show more

Brian Triptree was born in 1939 and passed away in 2026. He was a prominent figure in the British toy industry for more than 50 years. His career in toys and games began when he joined Ideal Uk, th...e British arm of the well-known American toy company. He launched new toys and games, supported advertising campaigns, and built a nationwide network of retail buyers and executives. At 35 years old in 1974, Brian and his business partner decided to go off on their own and founded Action Games & Toys, more commonly known as Action GT, and launched at Toy Fair in Brighton with Grand Slam Football. Over the years, Action GT found great success with toys and games including Domino Rally, Rubik Snake, Mr Pop, Perfection, and Monster Zillion Bubbles, among many others. In 1988, Tyco USA made Action GT their UK distributor, and two years later acquired them. Brian became Managing Director of Tyco UK, and when Tyco acquired Universal Matchbox in 1992, he lead that business too. In 1966, Brian tried a new venture once more, establishing The Sales Partnership, which represented Pressman Games USA and many others. He ran his business with charisma and success until his retirement in 2015. Brian leaves behind his wife of over 60 years, Susan, his daughter, Ali, his son, James, and four grandchildren. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all those that knew and loved him.Show more

John Boyce was born on January 5, 1972 and passed away on February 21, 2026. John was passionate about the arts. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and spe...nt a lot of time in his mother's pottery studio, which sparked his passion for drawing. John went on to design toys for Hasbro in Rhode Island. He was part of the relaunch of Star Wars toys and GI Joe action figures, and is one of the few that can say he's had a GI Joe figure made in his name and likeness. He contributed original designs to recent Spiderman movies and met with sports figures and entertainers to transform them into action figures. John married Robin Kubas in 2008. They had three children together, Noah, Cameron, and Evan. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all those that knew and loved him.Show more